We all know that staring at bright screens before bed can wreak havoc on our sleep patterns, but sometimes we don't have a choice. Luckily, iOS and Android 4.0 and above make it easy to invert screen colors for an instant "night mode."

We've previously shared how to invert colors your desktop browser, and the trick is just as helpful for phones. If you're on an Android device, open your browser, go to Settings > Accessibility, and find the "Inverted Rendering" option at the bottom of the menu. Checking the box will invert the colors of webpages, turning white background black and making them much easier on the eyes. Depending on your ROM, you may be able to invert colors across the entire OS through the settings menu, but any ICS or above phone should at least be able to use this trick in the browser.

If you're a night owl, you know how much a regular white web page can hurt your eyes when you…
Read more Read more

On iOS, inverted mode is even easier to enable. Navigate to Settings > General > Accessibility, then set your Triple-click option at the bottom to invert colors. Now, you can triple tap the home button at any point to invert your screen's colors. iOS's advantage is that this feature always works with any app, instead of just the browser.

You should still be wary of staring at any backlit screen for extended periods before bed, but eliminating blinding white backgrounds should help ease eye strain late at night.